Can the Wireless Charging Landscape Be Standardized?

The European Union's (EU) Common Charging Directive (CCD) came into force in December 2024, requiring a range of electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets and digital cameras sold in the EU to use USB-C wired charging ports. Laptops must comply by April 2026. The objectives of the regulation are simple; to reduce electronic waste and enhance consumer convenience by requiring devices to be compatible with the same charger regardless of device brand.

But with momentum growing for solutions that eliminate the need for a wire entirely, could a similar common approach be applied to wireless charging technologies?

In this blog, Michael Stark, NFC Forum Vice Chair and Senior Principal Standards Architect at NXP Semiconductors, explains the opportunities and challenges of standardising this landscape.

Q1: What is the EU doing today to establish a wireless charging directive?

A: The EU is keen to avoid market fragmentation across this landscape, especially as an ever-increasing number of innovative and diverse wireless charging applications are emerging, including novel applications in healthcare, in-car charging, and IoT, alongside consumer electronics. It is therefore important that we act quickly before each use case creates its own variation.

The European Commission (EC) began observing the wireless charging markets at the start of the decade, producing its first report in 2021[1] as part of the Radio Equipment Directive 2022/2380 aimed at mandating a common charger for mobile phones and other small portable devices. Though this report initially focused on wired charging, it also recognized the future need to harmonize the charging interfaces and communication protocols for wireless charging. This was then the focus of an updated market study by the EC in 2024[2], looking at wireless charging for consumer devices. The findings recognized “ongoing market growth” and the ability of wireless charging technologies to offer “an age of convenience and aesthetic simplicity.”

In its conclusion, the report noted that wireless charging technology is still developing, with little fragmentation to date. However, the EC is keen to actively monitor and assess standards to ensure future harmonization and compatibility across all use cases. This will mean that consumers enjoy a consistent user experience while also ensuring that all use cases benefit from improvements to wireless charging technology as it becomes more efficient, faster and adaptable.

The NFC Forum is identified by the study as one of the main standard associations for wireless charging.

Q2: Why are standards important for wireless charging?

A: Industry standards encourage faster adoption as consumers become more familiar with a charging process – regardless of product brand – and can have confidence in the outcome, which in turn builds trust. To achieve this, various devices need to work seamlessly together to achieve the desired charging outcome.

For industry, standards can remove technology predictions and bring certainty and structure to future product designs. This also generates confidence that products will operate seamlessly and reliably with other devices. This is especially important in a charging use case, as using incompatible components together may risk damage to a device’s circuits and battery. Standards help to ensure a device only recognises compatible chargers built on the same standards, and therefore does not try to connect with any unsupported technologies that could cause damage to the device.

Q3: What is the role of NFC Forum in enabling this?

A: NFC Forum has defined a standard for wireless charging through its Wireless Charging Specification 2.0 (WLC 2.0), which enables users to wirelessly charge small, battery-powered consumer and IoT devices using smartphones and other NFC-enabled devices. This is achieved by enabling a single antenna in an NFC-enabled device to manage both communications and charging, allowing for the design of smaller, lighter and more affordable wireless products, such as wireless earbuds, digital stylus pens, and smart glasses.

This is supported by the NFC Forum certification program, which requires products to undergo independent laboratory tests, assuring consumers and the wider industry that NFC-enabled devices will perform safely and as intended.

Q4: How is wireless charging technology different for wired charging and what challenges does this create?

A: In its report[3], the EC emphasised that there is no ‘one size fits all’ standard that can be implemented by industry. This is due to basic physics. Unlike a wired charger, the type of wireless charging technology chosen is dictated by the product design, maximum charging wattage and battery size. This then determines the optimum carrier frequency for charging, transmit and receive coil sizes to achieve the targeted power transfer efficiency and user experience. In the case of NFC Wireless Charging, its small antenna, with a frequency of 13.56 MHz, allows for compact product design size, but this also dictates the wattage it can receive from the transmitter.

Different use cases also have different needs when it comes to the charging speed and battery capacity, as not every wireless device requires a quick charge. For example, a Stylus Pen for a tablet, pair of wireless earbuds, and pair of smart glasses can all be charged when not in use.

There is therefore no one type of wireless technology that is technically able to support the needs of the vast array of devices that could be charged wirelessly. As a result, standards are likely to be applied to different device classes, ensuring design is not impacted and the charging requirements for the specific use case is reflected.

Q5: Within this framework, what role could NFC Forum Wireless Charging play?

A: NFC technology is widely adopted, globally familiar and its usage and benefits are well understood within the wider technology ecosystem. As such, adopting the technology for NFC Wireless Charging is much more palatable for the industry than the design and input that a new technology that is not yet ubiquitous would require. What’s more, NFC Forum Standards are proven and trusted, with a solid testing framework. And as NFC antenna can be made flat, it can fit inside even the smallest consumer devices with a surface area as small as 3x3 mm.

As NFC Forum Standards are already implemented in a range of use cases, there is a unique opportunity for the technology to be multi-functional. The NFC digital car key is a good example. The antenna can be used to open the vehicle and then used again to charge the key. This minimises any impact on the design.

Q6: How does NFC compare to Qi, which is the other key standard recognized in the EU study?

A: The EU report[4] reflects on the unquestionable dominance of the Qi standard within mobile phones. Qi enables the delivery of up to 15 Watts over a short distance compared to NFC Wireless Charging Specification which offers up to 1 Watt over a certified compliant range of up to 5 mm. This means that Qi can provide rapid charging to many mid-sized devices such as smartphones and tablets whereas the NFC Specification is designed to meet the unique needs of smaller devices.

Qi transmitters and receivers can offer this higher performance as they are much larger than those used for NFC. Shaped in a coil, they vary in diameter based on the use case, but most commonly are between 30 mm and 55 mm, meaning that product developers must account for a design across the X, Y and Z axis. This is acknowledged in the EU report where it recognises that looking beyond mobile phones, ‘Qi’s dominance is not mirrored’, highlighting once again the need to create standards per device class rather than risking a one size fits all approach.

Q7: What is NFC Forum doing today to advance its wireless charging activity?

A: This is a dynamic market and NFC Forum is committing resources to enhance its offering in three key ways:

1. Advancing the NFC Forum Wireless Charging Specification to enable charging up to 3 Watts. This would reduce charging times and promote better industrial designs. It will also support new use cases such as powering a wider range of diverse devices and offering a valid replacement for ‘disposable batteries’.

2. Working within the International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC) to evolve the NFC Wireless Charging Specification into an internationally recognised standard.

3. Continuing to engage with our partners – such as the Wireless Power Consortium – to ensure our work items complement one another, and as a community we are able to support a range of wireless charging requirements efficiently, safely and reliably.

We encourage all those involved in wireless charging to find out more about NFC Forum’s Wireless Charging Specification and to get involved in our work items to share use case requirements. Join the discussion.

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[1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2021/698819/EPRS_BRI(2021)698819_EN.pdf

[2] https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/57d56504-26df-11ef-a195-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

[3] https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/57d56504-26df-11ef-a195-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

[4] https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/57d56504-26df-11ef-a195-01aa75ed71a1/language-en